Cal: Hello, everybody. Cal Banyan here. Cal Banyan's Hypnosis, Etc. Welcome to the program. I'm back with Brenda Titus. Let me tell you about Brenda. She is one of the most delightful hypnotists you're ever going to meet. I mean, she's so filled with enthusiasm, and joy, and desire, and passion. She comes to us to the profession from a different profession, working with rape crisis intervention work. And she has a BA in Sociology , MA in Criminology. And I'll tell you what, the most important thing to me is that she is the person she is. She's helping others all the time. She is especially important to me as someone who comes in and helps us teach the course.
She doesn't actually teach the body of our courses, but she coaches everyone while they are practicing the techniques we teach in class. Be it the 10-Day Course, the NGH approved Banyan Hypnosis Certification Super Course, or our Week of Power 7-Day Advanced Hypnotherapy Course. I am so grateful for her to do that. And while she is at the center, she sees gobs, and gobs, and gobs of clients. How are you doing, Brenda? Are you seeing gobs of clients?
Brenda: I am seeing gobs of clients. And actually we are going to talk today a little bit about seeing gobs of clients, and getting your clients to then go back out and tell the world and do your marketing for you. But first, I'd like to introduce you all to Cal. Cal Banyan is the hypnosis celebrity. He has this fame in profession. Oh, my gosh, fame, the fame in the profession. He has won almost every single award and recognition in the profession. He has these 400 hypnosis training videos out there on the Internet for everybody to take advantage of for free.
He developed the 5-PATH® hypnotherapy system, 7th Path Self-Hypnosis, trains the best of the best. I'm very honored, and thank you, Cal, for letting me come and help your students. I love it. I love being able to meet new people, coach them, support them through, getting their practices going, because I love what I do. And I'm very thankful to be here today to talk a little bit about doing more of it. So what do you think about that, Cal?
Cal: Well, I think that's great. But, I just want to mention we talked a little bit about on the podcast a couple of days ago... I mean, a couple of episodes ago and that is... you're like 42 podcasts now, right?
Brenda: Forty-two, what do you know?
Cal: Hey... and when I first invited you on the show, did you think you'd be doing this two years later?
Brenda: I don't... I could've used some really good age progression back then to even see two days into the future. I had no clue. But, yes... no... I'm thrilled to have been here for two whole years. It's very exciting.
Cal: Cool, cool. Yeah. All right... because it's just... the time has flown by, hasn't it?
Brenda: It has, it has. And one of my friends today on Facebook, she said something about... everyday is such a blessing when she goes to work because she's there to help people and help support them. And I feel the same way. It's that, everyday is just such a blessing because I get to do this incredible work to help people. And today like I said, what I want to talk about has to do with helping more people getting that word out. Now, back at the convention over the summer, Dr. Damon had talked to us about telling the story. And that is such an important part of this whole process, is we need to get out there and tell the story. Wherever you are, tell people, "I'm a hypnotherapist. I can help you with... whatever."
Actually, I was recently at a soccer game, and I had to do the "I'm a hypnotherapist. Please, use your words carefully in front of my niece so that she doesn't start thinking that food is going to help whatever problems." So, I really believe in going out and saying, "Hey, I'm a hypnotherapist. I can help you with this, and that, and everything." However, we want our clients out there telling people about going to see a great hypnotherapist. We want our clients out there making it just as much a part of that normal everyday life, as normal as going to see the chiropractor on a regular basis, as normal as going to go to talk therapy, or get a massage, as to go to normal everyday thing to go and see the hypnotist. So what do you think about that, Cal?
Cal: Yeah, it's so easy just to work into the conversation. As whatever it's about, you can say, "Well, my perspective from being a hypnotherapist is blah, blah, blah, blah." And so, maybe you're talking about some... people complaining all the time, and you just say, well, "My perspective on that from a professional hypnotist point of view is..." And then you give them, and then they go, "Wait, you're a professional hypnotist? Tell me about that." And you can give them your elevator speech and say, "Yeah, my main object is, I help people and when everything else has failed. It could be improved performance, or getting over bad habits, or whatever it is. And they go, "Wow, do you think you can help me with...?" And I say, "Sure, that's easy. We do it all the time." Something like that, right?
Brenda: Exactly. We've got to get out there and tell our story. But like I said, we also want our clients out there telling the story. So most important ways to get our clients to get out there and tell our story is to do great work. And I actually had talked to Cal about that last week in the lunch room. I'd said, "My gosh, I want to talk about getting our clients getting out there and making more referrals because..." All of a sudden, my phone was ringing off the hook there for a couple of weeks. And every single person I talked to said, "Well, you helped my friend" or "You helped so and so," "I heard about the work that you did."
So I wanted to talk a little bit about ways that we could get our clients, encourage them to tell their story so that we can get the word about, the word out about how great hypnosis can be to help others. So the first... a few of the things that I do actually are things that I have built into my practice. It's just regular thing that I do. And I learned a lot of these things actually from Maureen here at the Banyan Hypnosis Center, both between some of the personal coaching that she did with me as I started my business, but also the business pack, which is so vitally important for starting your business and what have you.
So the first thing that Maureen really talked to me about and encouraged me to do was to have clients do a feedback form when you're completing your sessions. I actually, usually have my clipboard out when they arrive on session five, before we even go into my office, they sit down and they work on their feedback form. And it's just a basic piece of paper that I ask them to provide... to talk about how their lives have changed based on the work that we have done. And what I do is I usually introduce and say, "You know, this is a great opportunity for you and for me. For you to stop and think about how you have gone and changed, and also to give me feedback about ways that I have either helped you, or if there's something that we missed that we still need to work on today for our final session." So that's where I start with that feedback form.
And we have testimonial books here in the office. They sit right out there in our reception area. So if people are sitting there, waiting, or maybe if a parent is sitting and waiting while a teen, or a child, or somebody else is in session, they can sit there and they can thumb through it. And so now, Cal, I imagine you guys have years worth of testimonials in your book. Is that right?
Cal: Well, yeah, absolutely. In our receiving area, we've got binders full of people’s feedback forms. And it's... they say... they're typically written in a letter form. "Dear Cal..." Or it might be just... or the other hypnotherapist that have worked here, "Dear Kathy," "Dear Brenda," and so on, "Thank you for helping me with blah, blah, blah, blah."
And, I think that really educates our clients even before we see them, either for the first session or any other session, that yes, they've made a good decision by coming to see us. Yes, what we do works. And, yes, we're successful with all these different issues. And so, they'll come in and say, "I saw that out in that binder, that you're very successful with...," fill in the blank, "Do you think you could help my mother, father, sister, brother, cousin, lover, little sister, whatever it is with that issue?" I say, "Sure. It's easy. We do it all the time." And so that way, I can encourage them very simply, very organically to make a referral. Is that what you're getting at?
Brenda: Exactly, yes. Yeah, there's two parts to that. Is that... first, is that people then can see, look at what other people have done. Also it's huge for just actually having a variety of things that we do to help people get different outcomes. Each person is going to have a different way that they're going to express their gratitude for that help that you've given them, as well as just recognizing the changes that they have made in their lives. And so what I do, actually I take a couple of steps further with these feedback forms or these testimonials. First, obviously I put them on my website. I have a whole page that is testimonials. And actually, I just made myself a note. And I said, I want to do some updates because I've gotten some really excellent, vibrant, detailed testimonials recently. So I'd like to be sure that I'm always, keeping those fresh and updated.
Now the other thing that I do, and I want to talk about some of the... just things that.... this is something that just came to me about a year ago that I started doing is that I do what's called testimonial Thursday on my Facebook page. So every Thursday, I sit down, and I do get a release from my clients for this. I explain that I post these on my Facebook page. I get their signature, no names or anything like that, no identifying information. But then every Thursday, I post a testimonial, a piece of feedback on my Facebook page. So that I'm always reminding the people who follow my Facebook page that this is what I do. This is how I help people. These are some of the outcomes. These are some of the issues that I help people with. And that has actually been a really great avenue for me to be able to share the story, be able to tell people what I'm doing, be able to do some free type of marketing. And I found it to be a very great way. But, of course, it's something that I am doing based on the feedback forms that the clients have provided me for... have provided for me. Sorry about that.
Now, Erika is doing something really neat that I also wanted to share when we talk about our clients telling our story... telling their story. And Erika, recently... she's working with her office and expanding her space, and she has a big board out in her room, and when clients have a success, they will post it on this board. And she makes little, cute slips of paper and then they write whatever it is they want to say. They're five days without a cigarette, or I lost 30 pounds, or no more nightmares, or whatever it is. Simple, to the point, but then it's very beautifully laid out. So that when people actually come in to her office, they can see all of the other success stories, little blips, little headlines, so to speak, of all of the great successes that have already come before this new client has walked in to the office. So isn't that a great idea, Cal? I love that.
Cal: Yeah, it really is. That Erika, she's so smart. She... not only, is she a computer genius and a great hypnotherapist, she thinks of these little things. And it reminds me... Before we moved back to California, when we opened in Minnesota, for 10 years we had our office in a strip mall, which meant... So there was a hallway outside the front of our office, and we had these four display cabinets. So either they're like... They look like windows. They're pull cabinets about this deep, and they're like 24 by 36, and we would post our testimonials right there. And people would walk by in the mall and read those testimonials. So we had them inside and we had them outside. So it's kind of a variation on what Erika is talking about.
Brenda: I love that. That is such a great idea. And I just love actually talking about different ways that we can get that word out. I think it is so important because the next step, like I said, the ones that I just shared, are more driven by the hypnotist. They are... we're providing that feedback form, asking them if they'll complete it, using it in whatever way is appropriate for us to use them, what have you. But then there's, like I said, taking this all to the next level. And this part has to do with it being driven by the clients. And the first is to get Yelp reviews. So I believe that Yelp reviews... actually I will tell you that probably Yelp is one of my most important things that I have out there. I've got, well, thankfully... because I do great work... yay, thankfully... and I have great training and great system and I do great work with my clients. I've had a lot of really great success stories so I have great reviews on Yelp. And I'm so thankful for that. So thankful.
Because the truth is that when you're talking about a Yelp review, that's not anonymous. Like I said earlier, when I post the feedback forms or the testimonials, the clients get to be anonymous. Nobody knows who they are. But when it's a Yelp review, they're putting themselves out there a little bit. So I think that that is just such an important way to whenever possible, remind people, especially there are some people who are more vocal or have had really the kind of success that they feel they're willing to share, that they will go out and put it out there on Yelp for the world to see. So what do you think about Yelp reviews, Cal?
Cal: Well, you know what, I'm really into the Internet and SEO and all this kind of stuff, and Google, which is the leader in search engines. It's so smart. Now, somehow, they are able to integrate obviously Google+ reviews and Yelp reviews, these kinds of things, into ranking your website. So that's a hidden benefit of Yelp reviews. And, by the way, you folks, it really, really helps us...I mean, if you like the program, you want to keep them coming, if you would consider doing a Yelp review, if you really like us and you listen or watch our podcast through iTunes, please leave us a five-star review. And it's just also helpful, Google, Yelp, and Facebook, five-star reviews. It gives you credibility in the eyes of potential clients and potential students. So if you're doing good work and your people love you, invite them to say something about it on social media. Yes, absolutely, Brenda. You're doing a really great job. I mean, when you first started here, all of your clients came from referral, from us. But, then now you've just blasted off, you've got your practice going full steam. And we're just very proud of you.
Brenda: Thank you so much. Exactly, yes. That is the key. It's that... as my web presence has grown, as my experience has grown, now thankfully, actually Kelly is the new hypnotherapist here, and I've had to say, I hope you're really ready because my practice has been busy enough on its own. And it's largely because of, like I've said, these Yelp reviews. And the next thing that I want to talk about, which is client referrals. I have got to tell you... okay, so actually, first I want to rewind... on episode 220, Cal and Elronn actually talked a little bit about referrals and having your clients go out and tell the story. And I'm going... I just want to refer back to that a little bit for everybody to check out.
I have done actually, really well just recently with people, just out of the blue... giving me a call and saying, "I saw your former client so and so, and they just couldn't speak highly enough about the work that you did. I really want to see you." And the key is, is that then the sale is already done. I mean, it's literally, those are fast and easy. And which is exciting for me because, like I said, I've been actually busy enough that I don't have a lot of time to explain all the ins and outs. If they've seen somebody who is in their life that has done well, they already are sold. They already know. That they are excited. They want to do this work. And I just love that. They're highly motivated.
Now one of the things that I do, and when I was doing my sessions back with Stephanie Green, she and I talked about this, and she said... she talked about like, maybe giving people a bookmark as... almost like when you're giving people your business cards. And so I thought that was actually a great idea, and I created these bookmarks that do have a coupon on them. So on my final session with people, I will say by the way... I'll remind them, your referrals are a great way for me to really get the word out. If you believe in the work that you've done, if you know somebody who has done... who could benefit from the services that I provide, I give them a little bookmark. And it's a reminder of all the different types of things that I do. And I do give a little bit of a discount for personal referrals. So if a former client has decided to send somebody to me, I will reduce their sessions by a little bit.
Now the reason that I said earlier about episode 220 is that Cal and Elronn did talk quite a bit about providing incentives for referral. And I think it's really important that we are cautious about that. We want to be sure that it's really in the best interest of the client to be sharing with their friends and family about the services that they provided, as well as obviously that it's appropriate where they're giving those referrals. So I've had a couple of clients that I haven't given those bookmarks to. Where I just don't... I don't know if it would be appropriate for them to go and be telling everybody about the work that we did that was particularly intimate, or off of my normal type of thing, or what have you. But like I said, I do give these bookmarks as a reminder... reminds my client to stay on their path of healing, and has a little quote on there about continuing their work, and staying on their journey and their path of healing. And then I also say, "You can share this other bookmark with a friend or a family member who might benefit from our services." So what do you think about that, Cal?
Cal: Anything... I think that's great. Anything you can do to put appropriate level of reinforcement there. And I really like the way you say... paramount... it's what's in the best interest of your client. When you put the client first, you're going to have better success with the client. And that is the number one marketing technique, it's success. Let me add one more thing. It's that... And I've seen a lot of hypnotists come and go. And you have something that some don't. And that is, you have this warmness and connectability. I've seen other hypnotists who are brilliant, excellent technicians, but they just didn't have the ability of warmth and connectedness that you have. I see the ones that have that, and they grow in that way to be able to reach out and connect and be warm with their clients.
And it's a fine line to walk sometimes. Being warm and connecting without sending the wrong signals. And I think you just do a really excellent job of that. I've seen some other hypnotherapists that worked at our center also in the past. So that's kind of an unspoken thing, is this ability to connect with people. And they can see in their mind that their mother, father, sister, brother, cousin, whatever it is, would not only benefit from working with you, but also would enjoy working with you. And so I think that also plays into the referrals. All right. Got anything else? If not, wrap it up.
Brenda: Thank you, Cal. That was very sweet. I really appreciate it. I do want to add as we wrap it up, there are a couple of pitfalls with your clients talking about how great you are and how great you can help them. So I want to talk about those really quickly. First is that every potential client is going to be different. Your work with client X is not going to be the same as client Y. Even if they are best friends, come to you both for weight loss. They're each going to have different experiences. So be prepared for that. It's not a complete cookie-cutter approach. And, so you just need to be sure that as you are working with your clients, that they understand... Everybody is different. And I'm going to use my same approach but our outcomes... we're going to have the similar goal, that you get better and whatever it is that you want. But everybody is going to have a different process.
I had somebody who recently who said...I'd seen him for five sessions and he started getting frustrated because he said, well, "Your Yelp review... that guy got better in two sessions." And I said, well, "He came here with a different motivation, different background. For you, we need a little bit more. But look at all the other benefits that you're getting out of these sessions." So I just wanted to add that. The other thing that I want to caution you about is, your clients that you're doing great work for and with, have a certain field of influence, a sphere of influence. And so they're going to send certain types of people to you. So be aware of that. I recently worked with someone who works for a divorce attorney and she's a very talkative person. She had excellent outcomes. And I'm getting a lot of divorce-types of clients right now. So good to know.
I also had really excellent success with a very young client. And I didn't necessarily feel that I was ready to get quite the referrals on that type of situation. Thankfully, I got some training materials and what have you, because I'm getting a lot of referrals based on the success of that. So something for you guys to all be aware of. Know that when you're doing great work, your clients are going to go out there and tell their story. You want them to tell their story. You want to do great work. And so I hope that you guys all got some great tidbits today about ways that you can get your clients to do your marketing for you, to tell their story, so that you can do more great work helping, as Cal said, gobs and gobs of people. Because that's what we're really here to do, is to help people. So have a wonderful week. Thank you, Cal, for having me here. And we'll see you all next time.
Cal: All right. Thank you so much, Brenda. Thank you, folks, out there. Because of you, we can do this. Let's work together to lift the profession, and as we do, we help more and more people around the world to lead better, happier, more high-quality lives. And through that, we change the lives of their children, and we change our own future.
That's it. Cal Banyan signing off.